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G. F. LAUGHLIN. CAR CONSTRUCTION.

APPLICATION men JAN-22, 1914.

Patented Aug. 22, 1916.

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of the looseness of the plate, air is admitted under the same into the car.

GEORGE E. LAUGI-ILIN', OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

GAB CONSTRUCTION.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 22, 1916..

Application filed January 22, 1914. Serial No. 813,671.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Gnonen F. LAUGHLIN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Car Constructions, of which the following is a description.

My invention belongs to that general class of devices known as car constructions, and particularly relates to a construction in which the door posts are securely and detachably maintained in position between the sills and side plates of the car.

More particularly it relates to an improved post pocket and threshold plate retainer that is particularly adapted for use on refrigerator cars or the like. In the ordinary construction of cars, the door posts are usually mortised in the sills in the bottom, and into the side plates at the top, the

same occupying the greater part of the top of theside sill, so that there is practically nothing left at that point on the side sill for nailing the floor of the car to. In the construction above mentioned, when it is necessary to renew a door post,either the car has to be jacked apart sufiiciently to withdraw the tenons of the post from the side sill and side plate, or the side sill is cut out in front of the tenon of the door post to permit the withdrawal of the post. In the first instance, jacking the car apart is detrimental to the car, particularly a refrigerator car, because it separates the different layers of insulation in the side walls, and in the other instance the strength ofrthe side sill is decreased, and a pocket formed in which water may lodge and cause the sill to decay. The door threshold plates in those constructions also are usually attached to the beveled edges of the floor boards at the doors by screws. On account of the floor boards being beveled to substantially a feather edge, the screws for securing the plate in position do not have enough purchase, and as a result they become loosened by reason of the pressure of the door lever on the door-keeper, which is attached to the plate. This allows the threshold plate to get loose, so that water from the floor of the car gets under the On account The post pocket herein described is designed to overcome all of the preceding disadvantages or imperfections in'construction, and in every particular afford an improved and more efiicient construction.

0 The invention has among its further objects the production of a device of the kind described that is simple, efiicient, durable, compact, and satisfactory, that may be used wherever found applicable.

To this end the invention consists in the novel construction, arrangement and combination of parts herein shown and described, and more particularly pointed out in the claims.

In the drawings, wherein like reference characters indicate like or corresponding parts, Figure 1 is a perspective view of a portion of a car; Fig. 2 is a cross sectional view of a portion of the car, the same being taken substantially on line 2, 2 of Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a sectional view taken substantially on line 3, 3 of Fig. 4, and Fig. 4 is a sectional view taken substantially on line 4, 4 of Fig. 3.

Referring to the drawings, 1 represents one of the car side sills, and 2 the top side plate, between which are arranged the door posts 3. The floor boards 4 extend across the car from side to side, and may be carried by the sills 1. There are preferably four post pockets, two for each door, the pockets being made in pairs of right and left, there being a pair for each door, the

number of pairs employed upon a car depending upon the number of doors. The pocket and threshold plate retainer may be best understood by referring to Figs. 1, 3

and 4, in which 7 is a suitably formed plate, arranged to be positioned upon the sill and provided with alug 8, adapted to be positioned in a suitable pocket or recess in the top of the sill, that is, the lug 8 is substantially a tenon, arranged to be countersunk in the sill. The plate 7 is preferably formed as at 12 with a shoulder, so as to overlie the ends of the floor boards 4, as

shown in Figs. 1 and 4, this construction affording plenty of room for the floor boards on the sill. It is also provided with a flange 9 upon one side, having a projection 10 with -a hole therethrough, for the tie rod as hereafter described, and with alug or extension 11 for a nut seat, there being a bolt hole through the side 9 and extension 11. It is also preferably flanged as at 14, and provided with a bolt hole 15, and may. also be flanged as at 16. The plate is extended or flanged beyond the flange 14 as at 17, so as to overlie conform to the inclination or bevel at the ends of the floor boards at the door opening. The flange or wing 18 is formed with 'a shoulder as at '19, and ashoulder at 20,

and set in the floor board so as to lie flush with the remaining floor boards. A tie rod 22, which is secured to the side sill 1, and the side plate 2, preferably extends through the hole in the projection in the flange 9, securely tying the sill and side plate to- I gether, and also looking the pocket member in position. The pocket member is secured to the floor boards by suitablefscrews. The door post 3 is secured in its pocket by bolts 23 i and 24, or their equivalents, extended through the bolt holes in the flanges 14: and 9 respectively. The flanges or side walls of the pocket are, of course, made to conform to the particular post to be used, and as will be noted in Fig. 3, the post lscut away so that the flanges lie flush with the sides of the post. The pockets also protect the parts from the trucks when loading or unloading the car. The offset in flange 14 permits the inner walls of the car to lie flush with the post (see Figs. 1 and 3). A strip 27 is also arranged at each pocket, as is shown in the figures, giving a finished construction.

' Arranged betweenthe posts at each side of the opening, is a threshold plate 25. This plate is preferably positioned on the flanges 18 of the two pockets at the door opening, and is prevented from moving transversely by the shoulders 19 and 20 of the two pockets. It is secured in position by screws, or the equivalents, passing through the holes in the flange 18, and by any desired number of screws engaging with the ends of the floor boards and Slll.

' It will be noted, however, that owing to the shoulders in the flanges 18 previously mentioned, the only strain upon the screws is to maintain the threshold plate in close contact with the floor boards.

From the above description, it will be seen that the two pockets on the same side of the car are securely maintained in posiany one of the posts for the purpose of inserting a new post, all that it is necessary to do is to remove the bolts and the side piece 27, and the post 3 may be moved transversely at the lower end and be disengaged with the sill and top side plate. This may be done in a moments time without in any way requiring the jacking apart or separating of the sill and side plate, and consequent injury to the insulation of cutting away of the sill, and impairment of the construction. V v 7 Having thus describedmy invention, it is obvious that various immaterial modifications may be made in the same without departing from the spirit of my invention; hence I do not wish to be understood as limiting myself to the exact form, construction, arrangement, 'or combination of, parts herein shown and described, or uses mentioned. What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is 1.. A post pocket and threshold plate support, comprising a suitably formed plate provided with a sill engaging lug on the under face thereof, and suitably flanged from the upper face, and provided with bolt openings therethrough, said plate being provided with a threshold plate supporting flange at one side thereof having a shoulder at each endof the flange for engagement with the threshold plate at the edges thereof.

2. A combinedpost pocket and threshold plate retainer, comprising a suitably formed plate flanged at adjacent edges, and provided with means for detachably attaching a post thereto, said plate provided with a sill engaging lug upon its lower face, and with an inclined flange at one side, opposite one of said flanges and having a shoulder at each end, the angle of inclination of said inclined flange corresponding to the pitch of the ends of the floor boards.

3. A combined post pocKet and threshold late retainer com arisin a suitabl I formed plate having an offset therein and a lug'on its under face, and upwardly flanged from the top face, and provided with a plurality of bolt openings through said flanges, said plate having an inclined wing at one side provided with a shoulder at each end thereof for engagement with the threshold and with screw'holes therebetween.

4. A combined door post pocket and threshold plate retainer, comprising a plate having an offset therein to form two faces in plate,

substantially parallel planes, and with an inclined wing at one edge, said plate provided with a flange at said ofl'set side adjacent said wing, and at the side opposite said wing, and provided with a lug on its under side, said flanges provided with bolt holes therethrough, the flange oppositesaid wing being provided with a projection having an opening therethrough substantially parallel with the flange.

5. The combination in a car construction of a post pocket, comprising a suitably formed plate having a lug on the under side thereof, and offset to overlie a portion of the car floor, with an upwardly extending flange about a portion of the upper face, said flange provided with a projection on one side having an opening therethrough, at an angle to the plate, said plate suitably flanged on the opposite edge thereof, and provided with a shoulder at the ends of said flange, a tie rod extending through the opening insaid projection, and a threshold plate secured on said East mentioned flange between said shoulers.

6. The combination in a car having a suitable side sill and top side plate and floor carried by said sill, of a pair of oppositely formed door post pockets for said sill, comprising a suitably formed plate oflset to overlie the floor, and having a lug formed on its lower face and countersunk in the sill, said plate being flanged about a portion of the upper face, and open on the side at the outside of the car, said flanges provided with bolt holes therethrough, a post for each pocket, each arranged between said sill and top plate with its lower end formed to lit and positioned in said pockets, and bolts extending through each of said posts and the flanges in said pocket plate.

7. The combination in a car provided with a suitable sill and side plate on each side thereof, with a floor carried by said sills, of a pair of oppositely formed door post pockets arranged on each sill, each pocket comprising a plate provided with a lug em bedded in the sill, and with a flange on a portion of the sides thereof, a portion of said plate overlying the floor and secured thereto, a threshold plate secured to and connecting each pair of pockets, and means extending through said flanges for detachably securing a door post in eachof said pockets.

8. The combination in a car provided with a suitable sill and side plate on each side thereof, and with a floor extending transversely the car and carried by said sills, of a pair of oppositely formed combined door post pocket members and threshold plate retainers carried by each sill, each pocket member and retainer comprising a suitably formed plate having a portion countersunk in the sill and oflset and overlying a portion of the floor, said plate provided with an inclined wing at one side and with a shoulder at each end thereof, a threshold plate for each pair of pockets, means for securing said plate in position on said wings, a tie rod extending through a portion of each pocket member between the sill and side plate, and secured thereto, a postpositioned in each pocket and extended to the side plate thereabove, and means for detachably securing each of said posts to its respective pocket member.

9. The combination in a car provided with a suitable sill and side plate on each side thereof, and with a floor extending transversely the car and carried by said sills, of a pair of oppositely formed door post pocket members carried by each sill, each pocket comprising a suitably formed plate having a portion countersunk in the sill and a portion offset and extending over a portion of the floor, and secured thereto flush with the top face thereof, said plate provided with a projection on one side having an opening therethrough, and with an inclined wing on one side, having a shoulder at each end thereof, a threshold plate for each pair of pockets, said plate positioned on said inclined wings, and secured thereon, a tie rod for each pocket member extending between the sill and side plate at the pocket and through the projection thereof, a plurality of posts, each having its lower end positioned in a pocket and extended to the side plate thereabove, and means for detachably securing each of said posts to its respective pocket member.

10. The combination in a car provided with suitable sill and side plates on each side thereof, and with a car floor carried by and connecting said side sills, of a pair of door posts arranged on each side of the car and suitably secured to said side plates, and means for securing the lower ends of said door posts to the sills and floor, whereby the four posts of the car are directly rigidly secured together, comprising a combined post pocket and threshold plate retainer for the lower end of each post, each retainer arranged for attachment to the sill floor and its respective post, and the threshold plate connecting the pockets on the same side of the sill.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto signed my name in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

GEORGE F. LAUGHL-IN.

Witnesses:

' ROY W. HILL,

CHARLES I. COBB.

Copies 01 this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the "Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C. 

